British Open Snooker: Start date, times, format and much more

The 2026 staging of the British Open will be the sixth edition of the competition since it was reinstated into the WST annual calendar as a ranking event.

Here is everything you need to know about the latest staging of the British Open.

Dates

The 2026 British Open dates are yet to be officially confirmed, however, like the 2025 edition, it is likely to be played across the final week of September, which would see the tournament take place from Monday 21st to Sunday 27th September 2026.

Times

As with most snooker tournaments, matches at the British Open will be played throughout the day and can sometimes involve a late night finish.

Typically matches get underway across three sessions, with 10:00, 13:00 and 19:00 expected as start times for the earlier rounds of the competition. 

Venue

The 2025 British Open was held at Cheltenham Racecourse once more, with the Centaur building playing host to the event for a third successive year, it is likely to be the venue again in 2026.

Since the competition made its return in 2021, the Morningside Arena in Leicester and Milton Keynes' Marshall Arena have also both played host.

Previous Winners

The British Open was previously a staple in the WST annual calendar with the legendary Steve Davis boasting the best record in the event, having collected five titles.

His tournament tally betters that of Scottish stars Stephen Hendry and John Higgins, both of whom have triumphed on four occasions.

The maiden event took place in 1980 where Alex Higgins overcame Ray Reardon 5-1 in the showpiece final in Derby, with the competition taking place every year from then until 2004.

Higgins' victory over Stephen Maguire in the final that year proved to be the last time the competition would be played until it was re-introduced by the WST in 2021, where Mark Williams beat Gary Wilson 6-4 to land the second of his three crowns.

Mark Selby added his name to the illustrious list of winners in 2024, beating John Higgins 10-5 in the final.

England's Shaun Murphy lifted the trophy in 2025, "The Magician" overcame Scotland's Anthony McGill 10-7 in the final to claim to £100,000 prize.

Format

Sixty-four players from the World Snooker Tour enter the main draw following a single qualifying round.

Qualifying matches were played over a best-of-seven format, the same format that will be played up until the quarter-finals.

At that stage, matches will be played over nine frames, with the player reaching five first advancing to the semi-finals, which will be best-of-11.

The final will jump to a best-of-19 format, and played over two sessions - in the afternoon and evening.

Prize Money

Winner:	£100,000
Runner-up:	£45,000
Semi-finals:	£20,000
Quarter-finals:	£12,000
Last 16:	£9,000
Last 32:	£6,000
Last 64:	£3,000
High break:	£5,000
Total:	£502,000

The winner of the British Open scoops a cheque of £100,000 with the runner-up taking home £45,000.

Reaching the last 64 itself was worth £3,000, while there is also a high break pot of £5,000.

In total, £502,000 is on offer to the 64 players who compete in Cheltenham, £24,000 more than was offer in 2023.

Trophy

Since its reformation in 2021, the tournament's trophy has been rebranded as the Clive Everton trophy - named in honour of the renowned and much-loved snooker journalist, commentator and broadcaster.